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The Color of Fire
by
Ann Rinaldi
Set in 1741 New York City, this hypnotic tale, drawn from an obscure slice ofAmerican history, delves into topical issues, where a culture of fear createsa hunger for a scapegoat, and a mob mentality results in the tragic deaths ofinnocents.
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
September 15th 2006
by Jump At The Sun
(first published 2005)
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The story opens just as a fire is beginning to catch in Master Philipse's warehouse, and Phoebe, Master Philipse's black servant and the eyes and ears of the book, is attempting to find out who started it. As the days go on and more fires are mysteriously started, the townsfolk become increasingly suspicious and suspect that the slaves not only are responsible for the wreckage but that they also are planning a murderous revolt against their masters. There is so much adventure throughtout the boo...more
This is a beautifully written story about true events in 1741, New York. Several buildings have been set on fire. As the populace gets angry and fearful, the need to find anyone to pin the blame on grows.
Rinaldi weaves a suspenseful story that shows how an angry mob leads not to justice just to revenge. People are afraid of a slave uprising and of Catholics conspiring with the Spanish who are at war with the British. It leads to a deadly mix.
I really enjoyed the telling of this story through the...more
Rinaldi weaves a suspenseful story that shows how an angry mob leads not to justice just to revenge. People are afraid of a slave uprising and of Catholics conspiring with the Spanish who are at war with the British. It leads to a deadly mix.
I really enjoyed the telling of this story through the...more
Based on historical facts... slaves were burned at the stake in New York City in 1741. Unexplained fires around the city are blamed on slaves, and young Phoebe finds herself torn between giving poison to her friend, Cuffee so that he won't suffer as he burns... a chilling story when American was still a colony of Britain and people feared slaves and Catholics for we were at war with Spain - a Catholic country. Ann Rinaldi does a great job of bringing this piece of history to life.
This book is an eye-opening account of Phoebe, a young black slave in New York City, during the time of the war with Spain. I had no idea there was fear of a "great Negro plot" in New York at this time and that slavery was such a difficult issue in the north. The mob mentality that existed at this time resulted in the tragic death of more innocent people than perished in the Salem witch trials.
I honesty did not like this book. I was forced to read this book for school. I thought this book would be better based on the summary on the back and the genre, which I usually find interesting. I was very disappointed with the ending because the problem was not resolved the way I wanted it to be. Overall the book was nothin special.
Another great historical fiction by Ann Rinaldi. As much as my students love reading her works, I think I enjoy them even more! This account based in New York City in 1741 opened my eyes to events I didn't even know occurred and leads to a great teaching opportunity about slave life in the North.
Horrible. I hated the ending. I hated the beginning. And everything in-between. If you are planning to read this because of the genre, I recommend CHAINS by Laurie Halse Anderson, which is an amazing book. It is also the first in a trilogy, if you like that kind of thing.
This story was based on an incident in our history about which I knew nothing--"great Negro plot" in New York in 1741. There was a witch hunt, even worse than the Salem Witch Hunt. I love learning from Ann Rinaldi's books!
This is young adult historical fiction set in New York in the mid-eighteenth century. I had never heard about the burnings of slaves in New York before I read this book. It has the feel of the Salem witch trials.
The brutal, unjust handling of slave uprisings in 18th century New York; a strong, well-written protagonist and enough realism to make this effective without being overly graphic for middle-grade readers
This is a book for upper elementary or middle schoolers, so it only took a couple hours to read, but it dealt with a fascinating chapter in American history that I knew absolutely nothing about.
A really interesting historical fiction piece about the alleged slave uprising in NYC in the 1700s. A little piece of history I'd never known about before told through the eyes of a fictional slave.
I thought this was a great read for February since it is black history month but I didn't like the way it ended. I wish they would have given more details.
In New York City, 1741, mass hysteria ensues when whites begin to accuse black slaves of setting fires to start and uprising.
this book i read for school, was a little confusing, but good. really sad. People died by being burned in this book.
While an interesting historical account akin to the witch trials in Salem, I did not like the prose. Choppy.
It was a interesting book loved reading every minute of it.
This book is quite interesting. My favorite character is Cuffee, because he is interesting and he knows about the outside world. I like how Phoebe's world is just a small town with semi-kind people. The idea of having a medicine guy come to town, having a bakery right in town, and having somebody to come teach me my lessons everyday. I hope the rest of the book is just as interesting!
Didn't like the ending
This was one of the better books I have read by Ann Rinaldi, and this story was something I had never heard about. We have all heard so many stories of the horrors of southern slavery, but this story about slavery in New York City twenty years before the American revolution and the widespread hatred and distrust of the 'negro slaves' was something I had never hear about before. The story's main character was thrust into the events of the city and struggled to make sense of all that she saw and w...more
May 25, 2011
Robert B. Miller
added it
Read by Kelly, Spring 2006
The Color of Fire is a book about the slave revolts and who is being effected read about Phoebe and many more in this book about fixing slavery.
i wish i could give this a 3.5. i really liked it, it just didn't go deep enough for me. maybe because it is youth fiction?
I finished this book during the PSSAs, it only took less than an hour to read.
It's good but it's really sad. But then its historical fiction and fates...
It's about the slaves and stuff.
BTW, I feel bad for the main character, she's going through a lot of sad stuff.
It can feel a bit long in the beginning but it's... interesting...
It's good but it's really sad. But then its historical fiction and fates...
It's about the slaves and stuff.
BTW, I feel bad for the main character, she's going through a lot of sad stuff.
It can feel a bit long in the beginning but it's... interesting...
This book is a historical fiction book on the "great Negro plot" of 1741 in New York City. I actually had never heard of this and was surprised that I didn't know more about it. The book was and interesting read and thought provoking but it wasn't the best book ever hence the three stars.
I really liked looking at a part of history I had never read about before. It wasn't the deepest book, but I can see it's usefulness to provoke discussion about the mob mentality, self-preservation, and other topics usually associated with the Salem Witch Trials.
It was all right. I just have never been into Historical Fiction.
I enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and enlightened me a little about the "great Negro Plot." I had never heard of this before. I think young girls would really enjoy this book (ages 9-14 maybe.)
I might have liked this one more if I hadn't just read two other historical MG novels. I was bored with the format by the time I got to Color of Fire, and it didn't do anything special.
Initial thoughts after reading (found in a notebook): A nice book on a part of history that I had never even heard about.
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Ann Rinaldi (b. August 27, 1934, in New York City) is a young adult fiction author. She is best known for her historical fiction, including In My Father's House, The Last Silk Dress, An Acquaintance with Darkness, A Break with Charity, and Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons. She has written a total of forty novels, eight of which were listed as notable by the ALA. In 2000, Wolf by the Ears was lis...more
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Sep 27, 2012 03:30pm